“This quiet place has plenty to shout about.” These are the words of Times journalist Penny Wark following Lancaster’s induction into the top ten universities in Britain. So let’s look at why it is so great to be a student here at Lancaster University.
First and foremost as Wark says, it is quiet. In fact, it is the most under-populated place in Lancashire and its local residents are largely pensioners. But this means plenty of positives for us students. Not least do we own the night and its plentiful amounts of affordable bars and clubs, but the locals even seem to keep the noise down during the day so we can sleep off our hangovers.
Most conveniently there is only one campus to navigate. This means you can spend longer in bed, seeing as your lecture is probably within an extremely short walking distance from your room.
The nine college bars, also within walking distance, means a bar crawl will rarely strain the leg muscles either. And this also amounts to plenty of Extravs to choose from come the end of the year!
Lancaster also has one of the lowest crime rates of any university city, meaning you can comfortably stroll back to campus after a night out with little risk of getting mugged or beaten up. You don’t get that sort of assurance at the big city universities (many of which we are more than comfortably ahead of in the league tables).
In fact, it is that quiet modesty of the city itself which is so admirable. It has a secluded dignity about it. It’s picturesque, with a castle, museum and market, and the centre is largely pedestrianised and easy going. It doesn’t seem to have felt the need to over-modernise and undermine its cultural heritage. That’s right cultural heritage!
So you can feel so much more sophisticated studying here. After all, the Lake District, home of William Wordsworth, is only an hour away.
Plus the college system with all the banter and rivalries means you might even feel like you’re at Oxbridge or Durham. After all, we are now rubbing shoulders with them. But I bet we have more free time, nights out and end-of-year parties!
And with the rate we’re tearing up the league tables, this time next year we might even be number one! So watch out Oxbridge…
